I really like this idea. I’m sure we’ve all second guessed ourselves about if we locked the car, I know I have.

In order for the key fob to accurately display a “lock indicator” the car would have to send a message back to the key fob indicating that the lock or unlock command was received. A simple toggle indicator that basically turns on after you press “lock” and turns off after your press “unlock” wouldn’t work, because you could push either of those buttons when the car was out of range and then the light wouldn’t be in sync with the actual lock status.

So to do it right would require adding a little radio transmitter in the car and a radio receiver in the key fob. Both of which could be done, but both would add cost and complexity. But probably not by much.

Respond | Cheer this | 12 days ago (Jul 12, 09:00AM)

While this suggestion is well-intentioned, it’s an expensive solution that benefits a tiny number of cases. (Two?) As a parent, I would have rather had the effort spent on standardizing car seat installation. Most of them are a royal pain in the ass to set up; and once you’re done, you tend not to move it.

Also, I lost count how many times the only way to soothe my child to sleep was to take her on a late-night car ride. Typically when I got home, also exhausted, we’d both sleep in the car parked in the garage) until she woke up. The last thing I’d want is to wake her up.

1 response | Cheer this | 9 months ago (Oct 18, 12:12PM)

That’s a really good idea. It seems like leaving a child in the car seat unattended is especially dangerous when it’s really hot or cold outside. So the alarm should probably go off if the interior of the car reaches a dangerous temperature OR if the child has been in the car over a certain period of time. Also, when the alarm goes off the car should also probably unlock the doors and/or roll down the windows.

Respond | Cheer this | 9 months ago (Oct 06, 05:13PM)

Our old Camry had a loud horn and a quiet horn. I think they were referred to as “city” and “highway” horns in the manual.

Respond | 1 cheer | Cheer this | 10 months ago (Sep 21, 06:00PM)

This year lone, there have been TOO many deaths of infants/young children because they were accidentally left in vehicles for too long. Life is getting more hectic and people are often distracted; if this safety feature were added to vehicles, it WOULD save the lives of many children. With today’s technology, the car makers and car seat manufactures working together could come up with car seats that plug into the vehicles alarm system and would sound the alarm when it is sensed that a child is still in the seat a minute or so after the engine has been turned off.

1 response | 1 cheer | Cheer this | 10 months ago (Sep 15, 07:30AM)